"What...did you just do? Did you kill her?"

"I did what I had to do," Plagg whispered quietly, watching as the black dust floated gently down to the earth.

"If Ladybug and Chat Noir had been destroyed – without the Miraculous of Creation and Destruction, the world and potentially the universe could have been erased." He pauses, then continues. "I still wish I could've saved her though."

We hovered in the air for a moment, each locked in our separate thoughts.

An ominous rumble shattered the silence and I looked around wildly, searching for the source. Then I saw it, a large crack, violently bisecting the horizon in two, and spreading outwards, spiderweb-like fractures splitting the earth below to reveal a huge, cavernous gulf the size of the Grand Canyon.

Another rumble came from above and I looked up to see chunks of sky breaking free, exposing the dark, hungry-looking void of space beyond.

"What's happening?" I screamed as more cracks spread, rupturing both earth and sky.

"Without Sphinx, the world she created in your mind is crumbling!" Plagg shouted.

"That doesn't sound like a good thing!"

"It's not! Unless you can repair the damage, we could be trapped in here forever!"

I closed my eyes and tried to focus. Wished for a bridge, a tent, anything to bridge the widening gap above and below me.

"Nothings happening!" I shouted. "Why didn't you have a plan for this?"

"I didn't have a lot of options at the time!" Plagg snapped.

Suddenly I felt exhausted. I mean, come on, it seemed like I had been fighting forever. I watched tiredly as more pieces broke free from the sky, making it look like a half-finished jigsaw puzzle.

"So...this is it?" I asked, "after everything we went through, we're all going to die?"

"Maybe." Plagg's eyes narrowed. "Maybe not.

He put his paws to his temples and closed his eyes.

"What are you doing?" I shouted above the roar of destruction.

"Trying to contact a friend! Be quiet so I can focus!"

* * *

On the ground, Ladybug eyed the cracks moving toward her, swiftly as a river of snakes along the ground. Scooping Adrian up in her arms, she leapt swiftly across the smaller fractures in the ground, bounding from small rock island to smaller rock island, finally taking a break a on a large outcropping farther away from the yawning that was getting wider by the minute.

"Thanks milady...uh-Ladybug." Adrian said, releasing his hold around Ladybug's neck.

"Oh it's no bug problem-I mean, no big problem Adrian," Ladybug stammered. She looked away so he couldn't see her blushing. An awkward silence fell between them.

"Do you think [Y/N] defeated Sphinx?" Adrian finally asked, looking toward the sky.

"I hope so," said Ladybug, shading her eyes to look upwards as well. She could barely make out the speck that was [Y/N], but Sphinx was nowhere to be seen. "Though I'm not sure that this destruction counts as a win."

Adrian glanced in Ladybug's direction; she was still looking determinedly at the sky.

"Okay, elephant in the room, let's get this over with." Adrian snapped. He grabbed Ladybug's shoulders and turned her to face him. "Look at me." He demanded. "Do you have a problem with me being...well...me?" He asked, green eyes meeting hers anxiously.

Ladybug looked baffled.

"Huh? What do you mean?" She asked.

"You know...me being Adrian Agreste..." Adrian clarified, then rushed to continue."I mean, not to be vain but I'm pretty well known. Even if you don't know my name, there's billboards of me everywhere..." He stopped and took a breath. "I just want to know if this bothers you, because...you know I'm still Chat Noir, that pussy cat you occasionally get along with and love," he added with a touch of humor. Ladybug couldn't stop a snort of laughter and he grinned for a second before becoming serious again. "I just..." he gestured to his naked face. "I just don't have the mask on. But I want you to know...I'm still me."

Understanding dawned on Ladybug's face.

"Oh...well..." She thought about it for a second. "I mean, it's going to take some getting used to...but...you were always Adrian when you had the mask on, and you were always Chat even when you had the mask off, right?" Relief showed on Adrian's face but Ladybug didn't notice. "So even if I never knew your actual face, I learned what kind of a person you were a long time ago. And uh..." she could no longer meet Adrian's eyes and but she kept going, addressing his shadow. "I uh- learned that you are kind, trustworthy...and brave...and you always have my back...and you're one of the best partners and friends I've ever had," she finished, her cheeks glowing pink."

Adrian tipped up her chin so she would meet his eyes again. She could hardly believe she was looking at the Adrian Agreste of her dreams, and barely noticed that his cheeks were as red as hers.

"All those nice things and you still forgot to mention my unique sense of humor?" he teased, smiling a very Chat-Noir smile. Ladybug could help it; she rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, kitty?" she asked, sounding more like her usual self.

"And while I'm glad you like me as a friend and partner," Adrian leaned in close. "You will always be the girl of my dreams." He gently kissed her cheek before taking a step back. And froze, staring.

Ladybug was no longer wearing her costume. And for the first time he realized she was...

"M-Marinette?" He stuttered incredulously. Marinette jumped and looked down at herself in shock. She yelped, belatedly covering her face.

"Wha-how did this happen?" She squealed. A red and black dot zooming skyward caught her attention. "Tikki! How could you?" She wailed.

"Sorry Marinette!" The kwami called back, "it's an emergency!"

Marinette curled up into a ball, covering her face with her hands.

"This is a disaster!" She moaned, "I don't know how this day could get any worse!"

Adrian gently pried her hands away from her face.

"Why is this a disaster?" he asked, his fingers tangling up in hers. "You're still my lady, no matter who you are under the mask."

Marinette looked into his familiar green eyes. No longer just the eyes of her classmate and longtime crush, but also the eyes of Chat Noir, her crime-fighting partner and best friend.

"And now," Adrian said with a smile, " for the first time, there are no secrets between us. I can finally tell you what I've wanted to say since the moment I met you." Adrian took a deep breath. "Marinette, I lov-"

Suddenly, the rock beneath their feet cracked and split open like a hungry mouth. Adrian and Marinette, clutching each other close, were plunged into the void.

* * *

"Of all the stupid things you've done, Plagg," Tikki panted when she reached us, "this has got to be the stupidest!"

"I know, I know," Plagg retorted. "But I can fix it this time, we just need to do a Miraculous Yuwang."

"A Miraculous Yu- are you insane?" Tikki shrilled, her voice getting even higher. "Do you know how dangerous that could be?"

"Okay, hold up, what is a Miraculous Yowang?"

Both kwamis look at me.

"A Miraculous Yuwang," Plagg corrects me. "Long story short, it's what Hawkmoth has been after this whole time."

"We are the kwamis of Destruction and Creation." Tikki continues seriously. "Joined together, we can grant one wish, and give whatever the wisher desires. But there are consequences!" She added, sounding distressed. "We shouldn't even be considering this!"

"If we die, who knows what could happen!?" Plagg argued. "We'll just have to deal with the consequences, whatever they might be."

Tikki was silent for a moment.

"Fine, I'll do it. What is your wish, [Y/N]?" She asked, turning to me.

"Huh? Why are you asking me?" I queried.

"We cannot make the wish ourselves, so it must be you. And quickly. This place is collapsing quickly."

"Okay..." It was hard to think now that all the pressure was on me. "So wish for my mind not to be destroyed, for us all to be saved-"

"Any of those options would be good!" Plagg interrupted. "Just hurry up and wish us all safe!"

A vision of Sphinx in her last moments flashed before my eyes. The anger, the hurt and the anguish as she crumbled into nothing.

"I got it!" I exclaimed, "I know what to ask for!"

I made my wish.

Solemnly, Tikki and Plagg circled each other, before joining, both kwami's reaching to grab onto the other's feet and beginning to spin.

The sky was practically a black void, and only a few patches of earth remained.

"uh...maybe you guys could hurry up?" I asked anxiously.

Neither Plagg nor Tikki seemed to hear me, they kept spinning, their colors seeming to meld together into a sphere of black and red.

Pieces of my armor fell away, now lights began to shoot out from the two kwamis, but they kept spinning, faster and faster.

My wings disappeared and I fell towards the void below with a scream.

The last thing I saw was the bright sphere of light far above me, then I was engulfed in darkness. 

Hello my darling readers, we are almost to the end of this story. 

I have to say I did not think I would spend so much time on this Miraculous fanfiction, in fact, if I hadn't seen your continuous support over these last couple of months, I might've just stopped writing and let the story remain unfinished. It is due to your love and dedication that the Spirit of the Sphinx has an ending at all, so thank you so much for showing you care!

I would just like to make it clear that while I have been putting pictures at the beginning of the chapters, none are my work. (My talent is in writing, not drawing - though if anyone does wish to do a collaboration where they handle the art and I handle the writing, message me!)

There is one more chapter left, so if you are still with me, keep going! (After leaving a comment about your likes/dislikes in the chapter and voting!).